Product Description

The object of Rummikub is to build runs of the same color -- Red 7, Red 8, Red 9 -- and sets of the same number -- Blue 8, Red 8 and Orange 8. Adding to the challenge is the opportunity for opponents to build and change other players' melds, allowing them to use up their tiles to make Rummikub and win the hand. The Rummikub jokers add some luck to the play. Get them and they can increase your melding power. But they'll cost you points if you're caught with them at the end of the game. Rummikub presents a never-ending variety of strategy, and until the final plays of the game, anyone can win!

Product Reviews

I have a LOT of games in my collection and I am amazed (and a
little embarrassed) that I had never even heard of this game until
recently. I picked up a copy of it about a month ago at a local
game store, because the salesman recommended it and it
instantly became my family's favorite. We've been playing Rummy
(the card game) for years and I figured this was the same thing,
only with tiles. But it's not; it has the unique rule of being able to
manipulate sets that have already been laid down in order to
play your own tile(s). That added an extremely interesting and
challenging element to the game, which classic Rummy doesn't
offer. Let me give you an example. Say on the table is a set of
reds - R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 and R7. You have a red 4 (R4) and a
blue 7 (B7) and an orange 7 (O7) in your hand (or rack). You can
play all 3 of your tiles by making new sets. Here is how - Pull R2
and R3 off the existing set and add your R4 to it, creating another
set. Pull the R7 off the existing set and add your B7 and O7 to it,
creating another set. Now on the table is three sets: R2,R3,R4 --
R4,R5,R6 -- R7,B7,O7. That’s the cool part about this game! You
can add to or split apart as many existing sets as you want as
long as what remains are valid sets of 3 or more tiles. As the
table fills up with sets, the possibilities become limitless! We had
to invoke a turn time limit because towards the end you could
spend ten minutes moving stuff around in your mind trying to find
a place for that last tile. The game starts out simple and slowly
turns into a complex puzzle. Highly recommended!

One of my favorite Aunts introduced this game to me about two years ago. Now, my other favorite Aunt who lives in the same town as I do play cut-throat rounds just about every Sunday afternoon. It has become one of the highlights of my week. We don't keep a cumulative record of who has won the most five-round games, but we have decided that we're both pretty well-matched players. Of course, name calling (in jest) is the order of the day, even though it's Sunday! Having taught gifted children for nine years, I would highly recommend this game for kids. There are opportunities for planning great strategies, as well as just run-of-the-mill learning how to follow rules of a game.

Once you figure out the do's and don'ts, it's a fun game for the family or just friends hanging out....at times it can be frustrating, but always fun....you can put your own twist on the rules and play for hours...make it easy for the younger ones, or follow the rules for those of us who love a good challenge....I love it...and play it often....